Improvement in straw or mill boards



UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

JUDSON L. THOMSON, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN STRAW OR MILL BOARDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 135,452, dated February4, 1873.

To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, JUDsoN L. THOMSON, of Syracuse, in the county ofOnondaga, in the State of New York, have invented certain improvementsGonstitutin g a newArticle of Manufacture for Boxes, Book-Covers, andother articles not hitherto made of such materials, of which thefollowing is a specification:

Heretofore boxes have been made of strawboard, mill-board, and the like,either by leaving the natural surface of said board exposed, or coveringthe same with paper, colored or plain, ornamented or otherwise. Whensaid board was left without covering of any kind, the article made wascoarse and unsightly, and when a covering of paper or other material hasbeen used, it added materially to the labor and expense of making, aswell as increasing the cost of the raw material in making it. To avoidthis labor and expense, and make a handsome, perfect, and cheap box, hasbeen the object of my new device, which answers not only for boxes, (inwhich it is especially valuable,) but it can also be used for othermanufactures where it is applicable. The manufacture is as follows: Takestraw or mill board as usually prepared for the market, and apply to oneof its surfaces a coating of glue size or analogous material chargedwith any desired coloring matter suited to the purpose intended, coatingthe whole surface evenly or otherwise over with the colored size, afterwhich the surface of the board so colored can be embossed or stamped inany desired pattern so as to imitate wood or other mateterial; and itcan also be printed upon with any words or design.

The straw or mill board so treated can be applied to various purposes ofmanufacture, as above named, and will be found to be cheaper and moredurable than the covering of paper. The durability will be furtherincreased by coating the surface with a solution of shellac or othersuitable waterproof varnish or coating, the cost of production beingvery small above that of plain straw or mill board, while a saving ofthe expense of valuable colored papers and the labor of putting them onare effected.

Having thus stated my improved manufacture, I claim As an article ofmanufacture, straw or mill board coated with a colored size, either withor without a water-proof coating, as and for the purposes set forth.

JUDSON L. THOMSON.

' Witnesses:

J. J. GREENOUGH, L. W. MYERs.

